Amid the 'Jai Hind-Bharat Mata Ki Jai' chant debate, national women's panel chairperson Lalitha Kumarmangalam today said the row is "totally irrelevant" as women continue to be raped in the national capital.
During a panel discussion organised here by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Kumarmangalam, who is also a BJP leader, further targeted the AAP government on the issue of women's safety in Delhi.
"Maybe I am saying something very inflammatory... Debates around topics like Jai Hind versus Bharat Mata Ki Jai are to me totally irrelevant.
"Women continue to be raped in Delhi, women are afraid to complain about domestic violence in Delhi, women are afraid to walk on the road safely on the day of Holi, is that development?" she asked.
BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot, TMC leader Dinesh Trivedi and AAP leader Ashutosh, too, took part in the discussion.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson said Delhi had the second poorest record in terms of the number of complaints received by the panel. Uttar Pradesh tops the list, while Haryana and Rajasthan, she said, were third and fourth, respectively.
When Ashutosh pointed out that Delhi's law and order fell under BJP-led Union government, Kumarmangalam said that "everything cannot be the fault of one or the other party". She said there was "little co-ordination" between the various agencies in what was an apparent reference to Centre-Delhi ties.
"One of the things that I have found at NCW is that there is such little co-ordination, and it's not one party or other party's fault.
"Again, I am going to open my mouth and be lampooned, maybe perhaps by people from my own party. But the fact is that because we are always doing this 'tu tu main main', there is such little coordination," she said.
Ashutosh said the AAP government has time and again taken up the issue of professional policing with the Union Home Ministry, but to no avail. He also accused the Centre of not taking decisions on 19 of the 23 Bills approved by the state government.
